The Mozhem Obyasnit (“We Can Explain”) project highlighted outdated information in a section titled “10 Steps to Becoming a Contract Soldier” in a report published on November 2. The section appears in The Russian Army Defending the Fatherland, a roughly 300-page resource for grades 10 and 11 in the school subject Fundamentals of Security and Defence of the Motherland.
The material cites a former upper age limit of 40 for joining the military under contract, although that limit was abolished in 2022. The journalists also said that some of the guidance was promotional and that other conditions and restrictions were outdated.
The textbook also discusses penalties for evading military service and alternative civilian service. The inclusion of guidance on military contracts does not create a legal obligation for school students to enlist.